Wine Education

The AWLOTY awards use a tiered system — One, Two, and Three Glasses — to recognise outstanding wine programs. Each tier is a step-change in ambition, not just a longer list, and understanding the ladder is the fastest way to see where your own program stands.

One Glass recognises genuine thought: good variety, reasonable pricing, and a basic representation of key Australian regions, served by staff who can make a confident pairing recommendation. Two Glass asks for a deeper commitment — breadth and depth, multiple vintages, styles from the classic to the adventurous, and curation that clearly reflects the restaurant's own identity.

Three Glass is the pinnacle: a living, deeply-researched list with rare allocations and producer relationships money alone can't buy. Expect fine wine by the glass, sommelier-led service, back-vintage depth, and an international-to-domestic balance that feels effortless rather than assembled.

But the number of wines is never the whole story. A thirty-wine list perfectly curated for a small room can out-score a five-hundred-wine list with no personality. The question the judges keep returning to is simple: does this program make the meal better?